78: Chapter 78 Buying a new home, only to fall into a conspiracy again.

The drill ground in front of the Zhenwu Division headquarters in the capital was packed with people.

Gu Han, carrying a coarse burlap sack, squeezed into the line, his ears filled with gossip.

"I heard that last night, demonic cultists were causing trouble again..."

"Bullshit! It was clearly remnants of the Blood God Cult assassinating Lord Yang."

"Shut up, all of you! The Zhenwu Guard officials are here!"

Three figures suddenly descended onto the high platform.

The one in the center, resting his hand on his saber with his only arm, was none other than Yang Qianjue.

To his left was an old man in black robes with silver embroidery on his cuffs; to his right was a burly, bearded man carrying two axes on his back. Both exuded auras at the Peak of the Mortal Transformation Realm.

Immediately after, dozens of Zhenwu Guards marched into the drill ground in formation.

Yang Qianjue and the others did not say anything.

They simply watched as Yang Qianjue waved his hand.

At the same time, his gaze continuously swept over the people below the platform.

After scanning several times, he still did not find Gu Han.

"First stage: Bone Age Test."

The burly, bearded man's voice was like a thunderclap.

Gu Han followed the line, deliberately stumbling as he passed by the ancient bronze mirror. The green light on the mirror surface displaying "Eighteen Years Old" flickered twice just right.

"Bone age qualified. Go test your Cultivation!"

The old man in black robes suddenly threw out twelve Formation Flags.

As soon as Gu Han stepped into the formation, countless ice spikes suddenly shot up from the ground.

He feigned a clumsy roll to dodge, but secretly injected a wisp of Heavenly Prison True Qi into the eye of the formation.

"Divine Intent Realm, Seventh Layer."

The old man looked up in surprise.

"Kid, state your name."

"My name is Iron Pillar Wang!"

Gu Han spoke with a thick rustic accent, pulling an identity document soaked in sweat from his bosom.

"I'm from Blackwater County in Qingzhou!"

All these things had been prepared for Gu Han by Jiu Wuming.

The single arm of Yang Qianjue on the high platform suddenly tensed.

He swept his Divine Sense over this simple-minded youth, only to see that the True Qi in the opponent's Dantian was messy.

It was clearly a very ordinary Cultivation Technique.

Furthermore, there wasn't a trace of Blood God Cult Cultivation Technique or any signs of being controlled on him.

"Iron Pillar Wang..."

Yang Qianjue chewed on this name, a hint of amusement flashing in his single eye.

"Third stage: Heart-Questioning Mirror."

The burly, bearded man suddenly raised the ancient bronze mirror, and a hideous ghost face appeared on its surface.

This was a secret treasure of the Zhenwu Division, capable of reflecting the object of a Cultivator's deepest fear.

Gu Han's pupils constricted slightly as the thirty-six heavenly prison chains inside his body began to spin.

The instant the mirror light touched his body, he deliberately released a fabricated fragment of memory.

A blood moon hung in the sky, and Blood God Cult members grinned as they thrust their withered palms into a peasant woman's chest.

A young boy curled up behind a haystack, his teeth biting his lower lip until it bled profusely...

"Pass!"

The burly, bearded man waved his hand to withdraw the mirror.

This illusion was too realistic; even a powerhouse at the Mortal Transformation Realm like him felt a palpitation of the heart.

He did not know that Gu Han had long since woven the entire memory using the heavenly prison chains.

He had even controlled the most subtle facial muscles perfectly.

"Iron Pillar Wang, right?"

The old man in black robes suddenly spoke in a sinister tone.

"Why do you want to join the Zhenwu Division?"

Gu Han rubbed his hands together honestly, a look of murderous intent appearing on his face.

"I want to avenge my mother."

"I heard the Zhenwu Division specializes in slaughtering those beasts."

Afterward, he became "shy."

"My mother said before she died that I must become an official."

"My mother said... said that being an official means I can eat the Emperor's grain..."

The drill ground burst into laughter.

Yang Qianjue, however, suddenly slapped the table.

"Just for this honesty."

"This Envoy will make an exception and promote you to Chief Officer."

As he spoke, he tossed out a bronze waist token; the two characters "Zhenwu" on it faintly shimmered with blood-colored light.

Gu Han "surprisedly" lunged forward to catch the token.

Secretly, he sensed a tracking Restriction hidden inside the token, even more concealed than the one from yesterday.

"This old fox is definitely up to something again."

"I guess everyone who passed the assessment will be like this."

"Th-thank you, Lord."

He kowtowed, stuttering, and as he stood up, he "accidentally" bumped into a Young Master in fine clothing behind him.

"You dog, are you blind?"

The Young Master's jade pendant jingled at his waist as he raised his foot to kick.

Gu Han stumbled and fell, but in his sleeve, there was now a gold token engraved with the character "Jiang."

This was the insignia of a retainer from the Second Prince's manor.

"Does a dog of Zhou Yongchang deserve to apply?"

"Get lost."

The burly, bearded man suddenly roared, and the pressure of the Mortal Transformation Realm descended with a boom.

The Young Master's face turned pale instantly, and a suspicious wet stain seeped from beneath his trouser leg.

Gu Han crawled up with his head lowered, the corners of his mouth curling up imperceptibly.

In the instant of contact, not only did he swipe the opponent's token, but he also planted half a wisp of Heavenly Prison True Qi into his Meridians.

"Those who are unqualified, leave immediately."

Yang Qianjue suddenly stood up.

"All those who are qualified, line up and stand straight."

"Receive your items one by one."

...

Gu Han walked out of the drill ground clutching his newly received bronze waist token. As his fingertips rubbed over the dark patterns on the token's surface, his Heavenly Prison True Qi had already sealed the tracking Restriction.

On the second floor of a teahouse in the distance, three cold gazes stuck to his back like maggots on a bone.

The man in fine clothing who had just clashed with Gu Han was among them.

Gu Han swept his Divine Sense and understood everything.

"Looks like this guy is going to cause me trouble."

He feigned scratching his head and continued walking forward.

When the scorching sun was high in the sky, the moment Gu Han turned into a dark alley, the gold token in his sleeve suddenly became burning hot.

The corners of his mouth curled up slightly. Heavenly Prison True Qi flickered between his fingers, and the gold token instantly melted into molten gold, dripping onto the bluestone pavement with a "hissing" sound.

"Followed me for three streets, do you really think I'm a fat sheep?"

Seven figures suddenly rushed out from the shadows at the entrance of the alley. The man in fine clothing leading them held a poisoned dagger, the veins on his neck bulging.

"Slaughter this hick!"

The instant the blade split the morning mist, Gu Han's figure shifted three inches like a ghost, just enough for the tip of the knife to graze his clothes.

"Crack!"

The sound of bone breaking and a scream exploded simultaneously.

Gu Han crushed the wrist bone of the person who lunged first, and the snatched dagger spun into an afterimage in his palm; seven lines of blood bloomed in the air almost simultaneously.

Amidst the clanging sound of weapons hitting the ground, the last person discovered in horror that his companions all had a red line as thin as a hair across their throats.

"A dog of the Zhou family?"

Gu Han crushed the molten gold on the ground with his boot, his amber pupils reflecting the twisted face of the opponent.

"Unfortunately, you won't have the chance to cause me trouble anymore."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Han twisted the man's neck.

...

"Three owners have died in this courtyard?"

Gu Han kicked open the nanmu door covered in spider webs, startling a courtyard full of crows.

The real estate agent wiped away cold sweat.

"Sir, please understand, it's only selling for three hundred taels because it's a haunted house."

"Otherwise, in a place like the capital, how could there be such a cheap courtyard..."

Before he could finish speaking, a whole bag of silver ingots was tossed into his arms.

"Take your money and leave my house."

Gu Han said calmly.

When the agent saw clearly that there were five hundred taels of silver in the bag, the wrinkles on his face bunched up together.

"Sir, I'm leaving right now, right now."

"Here is the deed, please keep it safe."

Gu Han didn't speak, just took the deed with one hand.

Seeing this, the real estate agent left immediately.

After the agent closed the gate, Gu Han began to examine his new home carefully.

"This house certainly has heavy Death Qi."

Gu Han flicked a wisp of Heavenly Prison True Qi from his fingertips, shaking the accumulated dust in the courtyard into the air.

His boots crushed over the dried water stains in the cracks of the bluestone pavement, his Divine Sense washing over every inch of the wall bricks like a tide.

There were three rope marks on the beam of the east wing, seven Soul-Suppressing Nails at the base of the west wall, and even the stone edge of the well was soaked with a layer of yin evil.

It was indeed a standard haunted house.

Gu Han paid no mind and walked to the largest wing room.

Gu Han's fingertips brushed over the carved wooden door of the wing room, and rotten wood shavings fell down with a rustle.

Heavenly Prison True Qi condensed into a thin blade in his palm, and with a light swipe, the door lock snapped in response.

The moment he pushed the door open, three dried corpses hanging from the rafters suddenly opened their eyes, and ghostly green flames shot out from their hollow sockets.